The status of the vitamin D receptor and the enzymes involved in the vitamin D metabolism in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in comparison with healthy people

Abstract

Vitamin D has several anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Given the importance of vitamin D in the prevention, prognosis and treatment of many malignancies and the limited study of leukemia, including AML, this study was designed to elucidate the role of vitamin D, its receptor VDR, and the metabolism of this vitamin in AML. Also, it aimed to find possible differences between serum levels of vitamin D, its receptor expression and the main enzymes involved in the metabolism of this vitamin in patients with AML and healthy individuals. Methods and materials: In this study, which was a case-control study, 54 patients referred to the Hematology and Oncology Center of Shahid Ghazi Tabatabai, Imam Reza (AS) Hospital, for whom a definitive diagnosis of AML was made, were included in the study by convenience sampling. Serum levels of VDR, CYP24A1, CYP27B1 and vitamin D-binding protein in serum were measured by ELISA. Fifty-five healthy control individuals were included in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Based on the results, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in expression of CYP27b1 and CYP24a1 genes, so that the expression of both genes was higher in the patient group. Based on the results, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in serum levels of all three proteins VDR, CYP27b1 and CYP24a1, so that the expression of all of them was higher in the patient group.